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Would you consider collecting BJDs a mainstream versus unique kind of hobby?

Mar 9, 2010

    1. Given that the word "unique" means one of a kind... it is one of the single most misused words in the English language. People calling things "pretty unique" is just... wrong. Incorrect. There are no DEGREES of unique - it's either the only one or it's not.

      Given that basic fact, I'd say this hobby falls more toward the "niche" end of things than the "mainstream" end. It's impossible to generalize, though, because we're all individuals with our own preferences.
       
    2. It's as unique as every other hobby I have. :lol:

      Seriously, who cares how 'niche' or 'mainstream' it is? It's no different from someone listening to a certain sub-sub genre of music. It doesn't necessarily make the listener more or less special for liking it.
       
    3. It's not mainstream, as in accepted by a majority following or in pop culture. I don't think it ever will be. I'm glad there are many styles for the doll community to pick from though.
       
    4. The only thing I think hat could be called 'unique' about our hobby is our dolls themselves. No one here has the same doll (unless it's a certain limited fullset or something where no part has been changed). Even factory-faceup dolls end up looking different depending on the owner's taste and style.

      Like most people have said here, it's a niche hobby, but with unique products. Even if everyone openly loved dolls, I don't think BJD collecting would ever be completely mainstream because of the high price and extreme dedication that goes into it.
       
    5. This discussion motivated me to look at the definitions of "mainstream", "niche" and "unique". Per www.dictionary.com they are:

      unique
      1. existing as the only one or as the sole example; single; solitary in type or characteristics: a unique copy of an ancient manuscript.
      2. having no like or equal; unparalleled; incomparable: Bach was unique in his handling of counterpoint.
      3. limited in occurrence to a given class, situation, or area: a species unique to Australia.
      4. limited to a single outcome or result; without alternative possibilities: Certain types of problems have unique solutions.
      5. not typical; unusual: She has a very unique smile.

      mainstream
      1. belonging to or characteristic of a principal, dominant, or widely accepted group, movement, style, etc.: mainstream Republicans; a mainstream artist.
      2. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of jazz falling historically between Dixieland and modern jazz; specifically, swing music. Compare traditional (def. 4).

      niche
      1. pertaining to or intended for a market niche; having specific appeal: niche advertising.


      Based on the above definitions I feel that "niche" is inaccurate. BJD makers do not target a particular segment of the market. Rather, they saw a good idea and continued to make them because there is money in it due to a growing demand. In addition, BJDs appeal to different people for different reasons. Buyers of BJDs come from several areas such as manga or other forms of doll collecting, as an example.

      Doll collecting is a mainstream hobby. Ask anyone if they have heard of dolls and they will say yes. If someone were to walk up to anyone in the street and say, "Do you know about ball-jointed dolls?" (no acronym of BJD) the person may not be familiar with the specific dolls available but would be able to define what a ball-jointed doll is - a doll with ball-joints.

      At the same time, the anime influence on the ball-jointed dolls differentiates them from antique dolls (which are ~very~ similar in design to BJDs). Asian BJDs could arguably be unique due to the fact they originate in a particular geographical region, but even that is slowly changing as new shops open up around the world.

      Personally, I feel the BJDs with an Asian aesthetic were never truly unique, because of their similarity to antique dolls which were introduced to Japan hundreds of years ago. But, those people who buy BJDs that are like the anime characters are indeed a niche market in not so much dolls, but within the BJD market itself.

      As others have mentioned I too would buy these dolls whether they were unique or not. And, people are certainly able to make their own collections unique and even their own dolls unique. But, the hobby in general terms is not unique or even niche in and of itself, in my opinion.
       
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    6. I still consider myself unique for owning a BJD, at least in my state. I live in Arkansas, which really isn't known for having many BJD owners. I still get multiple curious people coming up and asking about my doll at anime conventions and such, so I do consider myself unique.
       
    7. I agree with this completely. There are many, many doll collectors and each have there particular favoured type. We belong as said to the BJD 'group'. Not unique but not mainstream.
       
    8. I would definitely not consider BJDs as mainstream yet, but if we look at PVC figures, it's a rather mainstream hobby in the otaku community. With Dollfie Dreams, many collectors including myself jumped on with Dollfie Dreams, so in a few years it could become mainstream with otakus.
       
    9. I used to collect Blythe and there are ALOT more ABJD owners than Blythe owners, so I would think its more mainstream than other hobbies, but I think mainstream isnt the right word for it
       
    10. I think among all doll collectors, BJD collecting is unique. What other doll must have eyes, eyelashes, wig, face and joint/bust size decisions made by the buyer? To me, other dolls are a matter of opting for another artist's aesthetic whereas with BJDs we take control of this. It can be challenging, error-ridden and always is strictly personal. I've collected dolls for many years and have weeded my collection again and again. The "regular" doll you buy is as "she" is. If you don't bond, well the only solution is to sell. With a BJD, if you don't bond, your first thought is changing her wig, or eyes, or face or clothing or ... So collecting BJDs requires creative and artistic endeavor on the part of the owner to create the one that "speaks" to the heart. This is far more than simply collecting other people's ideas of perfection.
       

    11. Hey Shao is that true? I am curious how you measured that? I was under the impression that there were more Blythe collectors because the Blythe craze has been going on for a long time now. Also, Blythe customizers seem to be all over flikr.

      Also I think I was under this false impression because Blythe prices inflate so quickly. She is cute but her body is just vinyl and plastic and she was designed for mass production (at least in 1972 she was). I always imagined that her excellerated price climbing was due to a higher demand.

      On the subject of BJDs. I think collecting dolls is a unusual hobby. Collecting BJDs is even more unusual. Most of the people I talk to about my dolls have never even heard of them.
       
    12. I...hate to say it, but I probably wouldn't collect. I mean of course I would keep the dolls I have and I would enjoy knowing a tad more about them than the average person, but it wouldn't mean the same thing to me as it did before. The magic would be gone; the magic of knowing about something so secrete, elite, and secluded as this hobby. The dolls make me happy as do many non-mainstream things. I go out of my way to avoid being what society veiws as "normal", so if the dolls became as such I don't know how well I would take it.
      I don't know. It's a pretty improbably situation though so I don't think I have anything to worry about.
       
    13. I think the thing that makes this a "unique" collector genre is that no matter what, each doll, even if it is the same named doll, is very different because each person creates the doll to their specification.

      Perhaps, it is not as unique as some collections that people collect in the world, but each doll is different, so I think that everyone who collects a BJD will make it as unique as they are.

      Just a thought, and one in which you can think of the dolls in not how many people collect each type of doll, but what you make your doll to be.
       
    14. This hobby has definitely grown quite a bit in the past few years (look at how many members we have!) I think it's getting to a point where it's common to have heard of BJD's, although actual members of the hobby are still limited.

      I would say it's somewhere between mainstream and "unique". For a mainstream hobby (such as sewing, crocheting), you wouldn't be surprised to bump into someone else in the hobby just walking down the street. For us, this would be pretty rare.
       
    15. Actually, I believe BJDs are a unique kind of hobby. Especially since it's not as mainstream as people may think it is. Even I didn't know anything about BJDs officially until half a year ago. I actually think the thousand members that are on here are actually not that many when you think about it. It's a pretty good number, yes, but it's actually not as well known. I've only seen one person with BJDs (a mother and her daughter in Walmart) once. And I live in a rather small town too, even if there are 3 towns just a bridge away from each other. It's actually pretty nice that the hobby is unique, in my opinion. ^^
       
    16. This! :D I agree pretty much with this.
       
    17. Well, depends where you are. I mean look at Japan, there are tons of people who collect them making it more of a mainstream hobby. Anywhere else, I'd say it's not mainstream at all and more uncommon. Also, who you are may affect it. There might be hordes of people some place who love them and then the more people have them there the more mainstream it would be. Hope that made sense!:)
       
    18. The ball joints are definitely not unique -- the aesthetic is, along with their kit like nature which is not common. Though many types of dolls are customized, few are made to be readily customizable by their owners. There is a lot of differences out there in terms of sculpting styles, but when it comes to the on-topic dolls, you can look at them and tell that they are Asian styled bjds -- they really have a different look, even the more realistic ones still do to some degree also. I think the uniqueness in style combined with the intended customization does make them a niche product -- that's not something that's necessarily going to appeal to a mainstream audience, even if hobbyists end up here from different places. Very expensive, customizable, dolls with a unfamiliar (to a lot of folks) aesthetic are not something everyone can wrap their heads around. Considering that they were made with the intent to be customized and that this was pushed from the beginning, I would say that the intended market is people who have that interest (that does not mean that all hobbyists have to be into customization, but that's what the dolls are made for). Otherwise, our dolls would not be like they are now.

      I would buy them as well no matter the popularity level. I do think the fact that DoA has grown a lot and more dolls being made available sometimes gives the impression that we're a larger hobby than we actually are. In the grand scheme of things we're a small subset of doll collecting, and are likely to stay that way. I do think that the definition of unique referring to unusual, actually does fit abjds, though, when you take them into account as a whole and don't focus purely on them being strung with ball joints.
       
    19. BJD collecting is not a mainstream thing. I can't say for the whole world, but for the US, stuff like antique cars, beanie babies, and stamps are more mainstream than BJDs. Even if these things aren't so mainstream anymore, they were once upon a time. Collecting dolls in general is mainstream, but so far the only doll collecting I've heard of was porcelain, barbies, and such. Not sure if many doll collectors know of BJDs.
       
    20. Just to be contrary I'm going to say that it's a mainstream hobby. I have met very few other subcultural people(IRL or online) who have collected dolls. It's mostly more mainstream people. :P